Chasing Harry Potter
by Debs1990
Summary: Romilda Vane has set her sights on "The Chosen One" and is determined that nothing is going to stand in her way. Will she get what she wants or will it all end in tears?
1. Bad First Impression

**Chasing Harry Potter**

 **Characters: Romilda Vane, Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom**

 **Rating: K**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. (No matter how many times I wish that I did)**

 **Takes place during Chapter 7 of Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince**

* * *

Since the start of her fourth year at Hogwarts she had been trying to get him to notice her. She was on the Hogwarts Express hanging around outside Harry's compartment with her two best friend's, Anna and Pearl. She watched in amazement as he happily sat with Neville Longbottom and Looney Lovegood and wondered why on earth the Chosen One would willingly want to sit with them. The three girls huddled together excitedly and decided that they would ask him to sit with them.

"Go and ask him, Anna," giggled Pearl as she tried to push Anna forward.

"No! You go," whispered Anna, blushing furiously.

Romilda rolled her eyes at her two friends. Honestly. Were they Gryffindors or were they mice? "I'll do it," she said as she walked towards the compartment door with a steady, self-assured stride. Romilda had always been headstrong and confident to the point of arrogance, so she felt no fear as she walked towards Harry Potter. With her long, curly dark hair and strikingly tall figure, what boy in his right mind would say no to her?

She walked right up to Harry while casting an amused look at Looney Lovegood in her odd-looking glasses. The girl did live up to her nickname.

"Hi, Harry. I'm Romilda, Romilda Vane," she said in her typically loud and confident voice. "Why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't have to sit with them," this time she spoke in a catty whisper while staring at Neville Longbottom's backside, which was sticking out from under the seat. He was looking for something, but she didn't know what.

The reaction she got from Harry Potter was not what she had hoped for or what she had expected. She had thought he would be grateful to be given an excuse to get away from the two people that in her opinion were not good enough to be his friends. Instead, he turned to look at her, and she could see anger and fierce loyalty in his green eyes. It was at that moment she knew that the Chosen One was going to turn her down.

"They're friends of mine," Harry told her in a voice that could have frozen the sun.

Romilda tried her best to hide the shock in her voice as she said "Oh. Ok."

She tried not to let the embarrassment show as she walked out of the door and slid it shut behind her. He had just turned her invitation down in front of Looney Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. It was also painfully clear that she had only managed to get on the wrong side of Harry Potter and she had no idea how she was going to redeem herself. Romilda shook these thoughts out of her head and made a vow never to give up. The Chosen One would be hers even if she had to stoop to devious methods to trap him. After all, she had every intention of finding out if the rumour about the hippogriff tattoo on his chest was true.


	2. Quidditch Trials and a Good Idea

**Takes place during Chapter 11 of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince**

* * *

Romilda was sitting in the stands with Anna, Pearl and the rest of her friends watching the Quidditch trials. They were having a great time heckling everyone trying out and taking the opportunity to admire the Gryffindor Quidditch captain.

"Oh, doesn't he look so handsome in his Quidditch gear?" sighed Anna dreamily, not taking her eyes off Harry. With the hungry way she was staring, one would have thought he was a chocolate ice cream sundae on a blisteringly hot summers day.

"Way to state the obvious, Anna! When doesn't he look handsome?" Romilda answered. "It should be illegal to look that good in scarlet and gold." The other girls nodded enthusiastically in agreement, looking a lot like nodding dogs.

They focused on the Quidditch trials for a moment while Cormac McLaggen was trying out for Keeper. His boasts were not empty ones, and he played very well, saving four penalties. Romilda thought this was a shame as she would have dearly loved to have seen him brought down a peg or two. Just at that moment, she got her wish. On the last one, to the surprise and bemusement of everybody watching, McLaggen shot off in entirely the wrong direction. His score stayed at 4 out of 5 penalties, and the crowd had laughed, and some even booed as he furiously stomped off towards the stands. Romilda laughed and booed the loudest, positively delighted.

"What on Earth was he doing? He had played so well up to that point," said Pearl, still looking gobsmacked.

"Who cares?" replied Romilda, grinning. Next up was a very nervous looking Ron Weasley, who surprised them all by how well he played as he saved all five penalties and earned his place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Everyone cheered, except of course Cormac McLaggen. He was too busy storming up to Harry Potter and having what looked to be a pretty heated conversation. It didn't go the way Cormac had wanted it to, and Harry stood his ground very well, Romilda noted proudly. She smirked as she watched McLaggen storm away.

As her friends got ready to head back to the school, Romilda gazed once more at Harry. Everything she had seen today just made her want him even more. It was like she'd received a rather large dose of a love potion. That was when the lightbulb in her head started to shine so bright it could rival a lighthouse. A love potion, she would give him a love potion. She suddenly remembered the First Love Beguiling Bubbles that she had bought from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, just in case. It was currently in her dorm. She giggled to herself. My God, she was a genius.


	3. Giving Harry the Love Potion

**Chapter 3**

 _Takes part in chapter 15 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_

* * *

"Are you sure you've thought this through, Romilda?" Pearl looked at her friend worriedly, not sharing her confidence. Romilda raised an eyebrow at her and once again wondered why her friend had been placed in Gryffindor. The amount of courage she currently showed was zilch.

"Of course I'm sure, Pearl. Do you think I haven't thought of everything? I am going to pour some love potion into this glass of gillywater." Romilda showed no hint of nerves as she carried this out. Pearl was anxious enough for the both of them, after all. Anna looked nearly as excited as Romilda, although she did seem slightly worried as well.

"What if he doesn't drink it, Romilda? And what if someone else takes it instead? Your plan could get very messy if it goes wrong, you know."

Romilda couldn't help rolling her eyes at her wimpy best friends. "Honestly, you two! I will not let anyone else drink from the glass, ok? Besides, I have a backup plan for if he doesn't want the gillywater."

Both her friends looked unconvinced, especially Pearl. "And that would be?"

Romilda pulled a box of Chocolate Cauldrons out of her bag. Her friends looked bemused.

"I have already spiked them with some love potion," Romilda told them in a tone one would use when talking to a small child. "Have you finished this game of 50 questions or do you want to carry on? Trust me; this plan is foolproof."

Pearl sighed, resigned to the fact that nothing she said would change Romilda's mind. Anna, on the other hand, looked reassured. "if anyone can pull it off it's you, Romilda. Good luck!"

The three girls walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the Gryffindor common room. They were unaware that Hermione Granger had suspected they were plotting something and had already warned Harry. They arrived in the Gryffindor common room to find that Harry Potter was not there. They didn't have to wait long for him to turn up. Anna squealed excitedly, Pearl looked nervous, and Romilda headed towards him in her typically confident manner.

"Hi, Harry. Fancy a gillywater?" she said, trying her best to hold in the excitement she felt. This was it!

The excitement soon left her when Harry answered. "No thanks, I don't like it much."

Romilda quickly hid her disappointment and pulled out her backup plan. "Well, take these anyway," she said, handing him the box. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got firewhiskey in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."

Even Romilda could see the hesitation on Harry's face as he took the box of Chocolate Cauldrons. "Oh, well, thanks a lot, Romilda. Um, I'm just going to go over here with ... ," he said as he walked off. Pearl and Anna came over.

"Well that went brilliantly, didn't it?" Pearl looked triumphant.

Romilda snapped, "Oh, shut up! It worked, didn't it?"

"He did take the box, but he looked hesitant. I think he suspects something."

Romilda walked past them without saying another word. She was sick and tired of listening to their negativity. This plan was going to work, and she would be The Chosen One's girlfriend. She just knew it.


	4. Feeling Guilty

**Chapter 4**

 _Takes place during Chapters 19 and 20 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

* * *

Everyone was talking about Ron Weasley being poisoned the night before. They said that he was still alive because of Harry Potter's quick thinking. If Harry had not known to use a bezoar or had been unable to find one, Ron Weasley would be dead. The gossips said that he was given a love potion meant for his best friend.

Romilda Vane felt terrible. She heard the news while eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Her fork dropped out of her hand, and she ran out before anyone could say a word. The usually confident, self-assured girl was smothered with guilt, and she decided to head back to the girl's dormitory to get away from everyone.

It was all her fault. If Ron had died she would have played a part in his death. She looked in the mirror on her bedside table, and for the first time, she didn't like what she saw. She was overcome with self-loathing and had to look away from her reflection.

The door opened, and Romilda looked up. Anna and Pearl were stood in the doorway, staring at her with sympathy and concern. It hurt her to look at them. She tried her best to act like nothing was wrong and forced out a cheerful greeting. "Hi."

As she expected, they weren't convinced by her act. They exchanged looks before sitting down on Romilda's bed. It was obvious they were here to try and talk some sense into her, but she didn't want to hear it.

"It's not your fault, Romilda," Pearl said reassuringly. "You didn't put the poison into that mead. Ron Weasley wasn't poisoned because of you."

"She's right," added Anna, soothingly. "The only one responsible is the person who poisoned the mead. How could you have known? All you did was try and get the boy you like. Last time I checked, that wasn't a crime."

Pearl snorted loudly at this. "If it were, there would be a worrying amount of teenagers in Azkaban."

Romilda knew they were trying to cheer her up, so she forced a smile and a laugh. "Thanks, you two. I'm feeling better now." This was a lie, but they seemed to fall for it. She would feel better on the day Ron Weasley was back in the Gryffindor common room, and she could apologise to him.

* * *

That day finally came. She was sitting in the common room with Anna and Pearl when she heard his voice. She looked up as he walked into the common room with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. As she walked over, she saw Harry and Hermione exchange looks of anger. Ron looked pretty calm in comparison.

"What do you want?" Hermione's voice was scathing as she glared at Romilda like she was something unpleasant on her shoe. For the first time since she was two years old, Romilda couldn't find her voice.

"Speak up," Harry snarled harshly. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ron surprised them all by piping up with "Give her a break, you two." He then gave Romilda a small smile and said: "Did you want to speak to me?" She nodded. Harry and Hermione looked shocked as they walked away to give them some privacy.

Romilda cleared her throat and spoke in an unusually quiet way for her. "I'm so sorry about what happened, Ron. I am a stupid, immature girl and you could have died because of me. I…."

Ron cut her off. "Don't be daft, Romilda. If you are to blame then Harry must also share blame for not getting rid of the chocolate cauldrons when he knew they had love potion in them. Or I could be blamed for being a greedy git and scoffing loads of them in one go. Heck, I could even blame the idiots I have for brothers as they designed the bloody stupid love potions. And we can't forget about Slughorn being the one to give me the poisoned mead. Do you think any of us are to blame for what happened?"

Romilda shook her head as the words he said slowly sank in. His maturity shocked her as she had always considered him to be a funny but insensitive joker.

"Do you want to hear who I think is to blame?" He asked her gently. Once again, she nodded. "I think the person to blame is the one who poisoned the mead." He spoke in a matter of fact manner, and his tone suggested that he didn't want her to argue.

Romilda was reminded of the conversation she had with Anna and Pearl. They had said the same thing. She could feel a significant amount of the guilt she had carried around start to fade. "I was still foolish and stupid, Ron," she told him. To her surprise, he laughed.

"I agree with you there, Romilda. You shouldn't be too harsh on yourself, though. Are you fourteen or fifteen?"

"Fifteen."

"When I was fifteen Hermione told me I had the emotional range of a teaspoon. I like to think I have grown up a bit since then. Don't be so harsh on yourself, learn from it and move on."

"OK, you're scaring me. I thought you were going to be furious with me. When did you get so mature?"

"I guess being seconds away from death and living to tell the tale has given me a sense of clarity. You have also caught me when I am in a fantastic mood and glad to be out of that bloody hospital wing. Maybe you should run before it wears off and I start yelling at you," he joked, sounding more like the old Ron. "Oh, and don't be trying to give Harry any more love potions. I don't know if I can survive another one."

Romilda laughed. "I promise that I will never use a love potion again."

Ron grinned at her. "Then my work here is done." He turned serious for a minute. "Joking aside, though, Romilda, if I see you doing something like this again I won't be so nice the second time around, OK?"

She nodded at him. "I swear on my best friend's life, Ron, I will never do something so foolish and reckless ever again."

He seemed to believe her as he smiled at her once more. "See you later, Romilda."

Romilda grinned at him, feeling like her usual self again for the first time in days. "Bye, Ron."

She walked to where her friends were and sat down next to them, smiling.


	5. Getting over the 'Chosen One'

**Chapter 5**

Takes place during Chapter 24 and 25 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

* * *

It had all started after the Gryffindor Quidditch team had brought victory to Gryffindor by winning the Quidditch Cup. Romilda and her friends had been ecstatic and were thoroughly enjoying the party in the Gryffindor common room. Romilda had been pretty down in the dumps since the disastrous love potion attempt, and even though Ron Weasley had cheered her up a little by forgiving her, she still felt guilty. It had been a major wake-up call for her, and she had matured considerably since then. It didn't stop her from being furious when Ginny Weasley ran across the room to hug Harry when he arrived in the common room. When they suddenly kissed each other right in the middle of the room, oblivious to those around them and completely caught up in each other.

Romilda had a sudden urge to throw the glass of butterbeer that she had been holding as she watched the two lovebirds kissing each other as if they would drop dead if they were parted for just a second. A pain shot through her and she stormed up to her dorm room.

Romilda collapsed on her bed the moment she arrived in her dorm and let out a furious huff. The other girls eyed her warily as if she could breathe fire at any moment. Her mood was so bad that if she were a fire-breathing dragon, she would probably consider it. Damn that Harry Potter the 'Chosen One.' He'd turned her into a monster.

As she got undressed and ready for bed, her heart and her head were having a battle of wills. Her head screamed "Stop acting like a lovesick idiot! The boy has a girlfriend now and doesn't like you anyway. Besides, the main reason you were attracted to him was the lure of the 'Chosen One' tag he has acquired. You never looked at him twice before then!"

"But you have worked so hard to try and snare him," argued her heart. "Don't you at least want to find out about the tattoo? Ask that Ginny Weasley if it's true. If they carry on as hot and heavy as they did in the common room, it won't be long before she can give you an answer. All you want to know is if he has a hippogriff tattoo on his chest, that's not too much to ask, surely."

In the end, she decided to listen to them both. She realised that her main reason for pursuing Harry was the 'Chosen One' title he had been given. She cringed as she thought about how shallow and superficial she had been, and she swore to never again chase after Harry Potter. Her heart had been right about the tattoo though. She would ask Ginny about it sometime.

* * *

It was a few days after the party in Gryffindor and Harry, and Ginny had officially become a couple. Romilda caught up with Ginny coming out of a Charms Classroom.

Romilda shouted, "Hi, Ginny!" Ginny turned around and looked at Romilda with surprise. "Oh, hello Romilda. How can I help you?"

Romilda smiled and replied, "I just wanted to say I'm very happy for you and Harry."

Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh! Thank you, Romilda. That was unexpected and very nice of you."

"I have one question."

"Ok?" Ginny answered hesitantly.

"Does Harry have a hippogriff tattoo on his chest?"

Ginny looked at Romilda with amusement. All her hesitation had disappeared. "Well, he does have a tattoo on his chest, but it's not a hippogriff. Do you want to know what it is?"

Romilda couldn't stop herself from nodding eagerly, so Ginny leaned closer and whispered in her ear. "It's a Hungarian Horntail. Much sexier than a hippogriff, don't you agree?"

Romilda nodded and smiled, thrilled to finally know. "Thanks, Ginny, bye." She hurried off to spread the news. Harry Potter has a Hungarian Horntail tattoo. She may have given up on the 'Chosen One', but she could still enjoy a good gossip.

As she walked into the Great Hall, she saw Ron Weasley on his way out. He smiled at her warmly, and she beamed back at him, wondering if she should turn her attention to him. After all, he had been much kinder to her than Harry ever was. She pictured his red hair and light blue eyes as she smiled, he was quite attractive. Yes, maybe she would set her sights on Ron Weasley, but this time there would be no love potions involved.


End file.
